Hamilton, a defenseman for Julien's Boston Bruins, wasn't knocked unconscious. He didn't wind up in a hospital. It's not even clear when his injury occurred, though that ostensibly happened during Boston's recent West Coast swing. Furthermore, it makes sense to at least attempt to stratify concussions, because some certainly have worse outcomes than others.

But really, it should be standard behavior for NHL teams: When a player is that early in the recovery process, just call it a concussion, then let the treatment process speak for itself.

Don't get specific, or imply that he should be back in any easily-defined period of time. Symptoms aren't universal, and they can last for a long time, no matter what they are or how horrible the concussion-causing hit looked. Maybe Hamilton's symptoms are mild; that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to disappear in the next few days. It doesn't mean they're going to stay mild, either — ask Sidney Crosby about that one.

That's important, because brain safety is important. Part of treating this stuff the right way, whether you're a player, coach, fan or media member, is taking it seriously, and part of taking it seriously is acknowledging its unpredictability.